I (that is Ned) have a new column on Stylus

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It is called Scraping the Barrel (or Scrapping, whatever works). It features me dealing with promo crap, emphasis on crap. My thanks to the Stylus crew for taking this idea on, and I would love to hear any feedback, thoughts, etc.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 July 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

First, welcome home!

Now that you're one of us, it's time to rake you over the coals. Just kidding. Well, you've hilariously described every critic's nightmare: sifting thru promos, listening to the promo, and then jotting down a list of allusions and references, while all the while your eye is on the clock and your editor's hand is on a pistol.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 28 July 2005 12:57 (twenty years ago)

Rock on, man! I shall read it with robust fervor! Good job!!! And since you asked me to remind you, don't forget to waste your time reading this dollop of crap!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 28 July 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

Alex, stop spamming! ;-)

― nathalie's body's designed for two (stevie nixed), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:01 (twenty years ago)

Busted!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:09 (twenty years ago)

Amazing!

I am not home yet, currently chilling in London.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:09 (twenty years ago)

You took the good weather away with you. Bring it back please, Ned.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:13 (twenty years ago)

Well I am back but I haven't yet seemed to have brought it with me to London. It might have to stay in Italy.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Fun column but it's hardly "scraping the barrel," is it? I've heard of every single one of those bands before, and they're pretty much all on major labels or big indies. Don't you get shit from local bands that no one cares about? Horrible rap-metal, lame AOR singer-songwriters, etc.? I know we did in college radio.

― n/a (Nick A.), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

Specifically this was the Stylus barrel, as in I said I would take whatever they had lying around they didn't want to deal with and they sent me a big ol package of it. I admit I was a bit surprised they didn't have more of what you've mentioned (but honestly, you'd heard of Hal before? Never knew they existed myself.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

Truth be told, when I mailed this stuff it was just a grab bag. What's funnier still is that we've covered this stuff - and even reviewed some of it well - in the interim! Nice work Ned. I haven't gotten enough for a second shipment, but I'm sure we can arrange an airlift program for these woebegone discs.

― blackmail.is.my.life (blackmail.is.my.life), Thursday, 28 July 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

i love it, ned.

but how could you bag Gay Dad?*

*somewhat rhetorical.

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Thursday, 28 July 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

Nedster, you gotta give the Oranges another chance - check out the On TV EP, specifically "Success." They really ratchet up the ass-kicking live too, something I wish they'd do on record a little more.

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Thursday, 28 July 2005 14:52 (twenty years ago)

you should check the discussion the comments section of the column below ned's

― czech it, Thursday, 28 July 2005 14:55 (twenty years ago)

By all means, blackmail, send whatever ya got lying around, or bonuses or whatever.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 July 2005 14:56 (twenty years ago)

Yay! Ned is back!

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 28 July 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

Oh, snap. Nevermind. Ned is not yet back.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 28 July 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

I smell yet another upcoming payola scandal...

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Thursday, 28 July 2005 15:40 (twenty years ago)

"After a bit, the album ended."

heh.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 28 July 2005 15:49 (twenty years ago)

Scraping instead of scrapping, for the love of mike.

― Leon C. (Ex Leon), Thursday, 28 July 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)

hanle y?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 July 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

One week you should do "rapping the bottom of the barrel" and it would be an all-freestyle event. Except then there might be an editing error that would change it to "raping the bottom of the barrel" and that would be bad, hoo boy.

― Eppy (Eppy), Thursday, 28 July 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

Frightening thought.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 July 2005 07:24 (twenty years ago)

ned i will read it religously.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Friday, 29 July 2005 07:43 (twenty years ago)

Go in peace and sin some more. (The plan is that it will be a monthly column.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 July 2005 08:13 (twenty years ago)

Ned, do give the Catch a few more listens. One of my favorites of the summer, though I'm pissed off at them having already broken up.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 29 July 2005 08:39 (twenty years ago)

"at their" (ahem) [skulks away, hoping to evade notice by grammar police]

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 29 July 2005 08:40 (twenty years ago)

But remember Rickey, I am not here for pity. ;-) (Besides, as I pointed out elsewhere, compared to everything else I reviewed they were easily the best of the bunch.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 July 2005 08:47 (twenty years ago)

"After a bit, the album ended."

Best piece of a review that I've read so far this year.

― lyra (lyra), Friday, 29 July 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

the Catch didn't break up I thought--didn't two of 'em just leave and there's replacements now?

I am also liking that Sick Bees record very much, esp. since it's 15 minutes long, kind of a supercondensed Fiery Furnaces.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Saturday, 30 July 2005 00:16 (twenty years ago)

Or you could really save time and try not listening to either

― mr me you bet, Saturday, 30 July 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

you'd heard of Hal before? Never knew they existed myself

Their album has been in the aisle-end racks of every chain-store record shop in the UK for the past month or two.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Saturday, 30 July 2005 10:17 (twenty years ago)

Today's Guardian Guide:

For a bit of studious chin stroking, stylusmagazine.com gives as much thought to Charlotte Church as it does to the slightly more credible Art Brut.

― Masked Gazza, Saturday, 30 July 2005 12:13 (twenty years ago)

Personally, I give a LOT more thought to Charlotte Church, hyuk hyuk!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 30 July 2005 12:14 (twenty years ago)

Best piece of a review that I've read so far this year.

Thanks! Second compliment so far, I suppose that's the standout line.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 31 July 2005 08:59 (twenty years ago)

I find it amazing that Ned has managed to turn ILM into his own personal LiveJournal page. Congratulations, Ned, and welcome to wherever you are!

― Momus (Momus), Sunday, 31 July 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)

ILN

(Currently I am home in SoCal and jetlagged to hell and back.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 31 July 2005 10:26 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Part two of the continuing saga.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

hi u continuing sage.
(may i call u buffalo bill?)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)

It puts the reviews on its skin...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

din!(g)-din!(g)-din!(g)

so u don't like main no more, either?
hm, "bodin"? where've i seen that name, me wonders.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 13:48 (twenty years ago)

Hm, no, I love Main still! The point is I'm no longer going to be automatically moved by anything that vaguely works in the same sphere.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 13:50 (twenty years ago)

Godspeed! You Boring Fuckers

A-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

― Ian Riese-Moraine: Let this bastard out, and you'll get whiplash! (Eastern Mantr, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:03 (twenty years ago)

Good lord, man, that's hardly a great (or at this point original) joke on my part.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

I liked the line about Hellacopters shitting on people.

― The Ghost of Black Elegance (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

Good lord, man, that's hardly a great (or at this point original) joke on my part.

I know -- it's just the way I was reading it in mind.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: Let this bastard out, and you'll get whiplash! (Eastern Mantr, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

you have no function and, seeing as you are from Dallas, this means you are currently taking up space that folks from New Orleans could use right now

more of these, please.

― naus (Robert T), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

Spot on about Hal Ned. Dullest band to come out of Ireland since... the Thrills. Oh God, we're doomed aren't we?

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

You must burn these people before they cross the borders and leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

Posted 09/13/2005 - 11:26:22 AM by Fantastic:
it's a good column idea, but seems highly lacking without some album art from these unfortunate records. y'know, especially when said art is mentioned in the column.

Ned, this guy is OTM. I love your column! I rarely read music columns (is that a cardinal sin around here?) but yours is great. Can we have more material to contextualize these bands? Album covers or photos or anything that would make your descriptions more lollerific?

― Mickey (modestmickey), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 14:45 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 73 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

(Also, we love you Ned)

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 18:24 (twenty years ago)

Aw.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

Franz says hi back too, Ned. TYG may do a US tour in early 06...

― blunt (blunt), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 01:05 (twenty years ago)

:-D

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 01:30 (twenty years ago)

xpost
"Danger Doom is not a pop record by industry standards; it's as intelligent and experimental as hiphop can get."

God, I hope not.

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 01:36 (twenty years ago)

nine months pass...

So after some delay for whatever reason all will be happening again soon. I just finished listening to the batch for column number 4 and for the most part I felt like I was being assaulted.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 19:30 (nineteen years ago)

hooray! (um, for the return for the column. i'm sorry to hear about the music's abusive nature.)

― aaron d.g. (aaron d.g.), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 19:36 (nineteen years ago)

You will be too, if you are unwise enough to seek it out.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 19:44 (nineteen years ago)

Despite my above post being posted during the "troll brut" era, the point remains, Ned...

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ The Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Wednesday, 2 August 2006 19:46 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

So I've noticed. Anyway, column seven (overall my fourth, but others did 4 through 6, which is cool of course).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 18 August 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

i remember when ned was nice

― mentalismé (sanskrit), Friday, 18 August 2006 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

Bad music never makes me nice.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 18 August 2006 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

And now AFI are famous for some reason, even though they are so astoundingly anonymous I forget about them until I hear them, and then I forget about them further.

This makes me smile.

― cosmo vitelli (cosmo vitelli), Friday, 18 August 2006 17:40 (nineteen years ago)

haha guttermouth! i used to get them confused with trenchmouth, who were fucking awesome.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 18 August 2006 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

The secret OC punk in you, Matt. Oh I know.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 18 August 2006 18:16 (nineteen years ago)

I'm so glad it's back.

― aaron d.g. (aaron d.g.), Friday, 18 August 2006 19:46 (nineteen years ago)

Wow, I just caught this. Glad to see the column back, Ned.

― van igloo (van smack), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 00:47 (nineteen years ago)

Yer welcome. The next installment has been completed and will be sent over to the Stylus bods tomorrow. 12 albums! Dear lord, the things I do.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 00:51 (nineteen years ago)

oh my. i hope you're OK.

― aaron d.g. (aaron d.g.), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 00:52 (nineteen years ago)

ned, i hate to say it, but i much prefer reading you write about something you love than something you loathe.... this doesn't mean i don't enjoy the column, i just don't enjoy it as much as, say, your thoughts on Disco Inferno.

an honest question: the actually listening to the music part aside, which kind of writing do you enjoy more? writing about music you love or writing about music you loathe?

― grady (grady), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 00:57 (nineteen years ago)

A fair question, hmm. The vast majority of my formally published pieces are complimentary and personally I'd always rather spread the word about music I enjoy first and foremost -- in ways, Scraping gives me a chance to vent that I don't always have, given how much I do like for the most part. Bad music annoys me by wasting my time and making me get crabby, but it is kinda fun to whip up righteous annoyance. Kinda reminds me of my early nineties days on a.m.a.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 01:11 (nineteen years ago)

i guess its when that crabbiness comes through in the writing that i find it less enjoyable.

That AMG write-up on Disco Tex and his Sex-O-Lets is obv. you loathing something awful, but the tone in which it is written carries the same excitment and awe you have for Different Class, which makes it so much more enjoyable to read.

Then again, not every awful record is as gloriously awful as Disco Tex. Guttermouth is just awful- no way around it. i sat through a set of thiers ten years ago at the impressionable age of sixteen and i'm getting crabby just thinking about it.

so, no need to get self-concious about sounding crabby.... just sayin', that's all.

― grady (grady), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 01:30 (nineteen years ago)

Then again, not every awful record is as gloriously awful as Disco Tex.

Precisely. ;-)

Also, hearing bad music -- not the well-known songs I know I don't enjoy and don't want to hear again, but some of the endless pool of sludge -- helps remind me just how much I LOVE the good stuff.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 01:35 (nineteen years ago)

The other guys look like they used to get groupies and cocaine for Chilliwack.

Wow, I didn't know Chilliwack was hiring! Otherwise I might've applied for the position. Unfortunately I'm not MAPL enough.

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Tuesday, 22 August 2006 15:46 (nineteen years ago)

In the 'hey, someone's reading' department, got a message from the dudes at Volcom saying they liked the column and didn't mind the Guttermouth slam. So I proclaim them to be all right.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

you want HATE mail, ned.

hate.

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

happy to clear that up.

― PARTYMAN (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:52 (nineteen years ago)

If I get some, should I pass it on to you?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 17:02 (nineteen years ago)

(so Ned has, like, indeed, a guy who clears his hate male up for him!? 8)

*goes to boggle mind*

― tiit (tiit), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 19:42 (nineteen years ago)

Meantime, during the shutdown last week, column eight appeared...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 7 September 2006 03:30 (nineteen years ago)

Odd--there's nothing about how you've had a total change of heart regarding Matt Bellamy and Cerys Matthews. Maybe the coding is ooky.

― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Thursday, 7 September 2006 05:37 (nineteen years ago)

Ah, that can be the mystic column.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 8 September 2006 01:35 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Column nine. I should say what a joy it was to be able to review this man:

http://trevorjustice.com/images/2.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

"Who Will Rescue The Earth And Sky," eh? Is it as good as that thing about the bright red sticker saying US Marines on her bumper?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 13:38 (nineteen years ago)

Listen to the streaming version on his CDBaby website if you dare.

Rocking out at the piano, Trevor brings to mind Billy Joel, Gavin Degraw, and even Andrew Lloyd Weber. But beyond his story songs, you'll be inspired by his rabble-rousing anthems for the planet, civil liberties, giving thanks, and global democracy.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 13:41 (nineteen years ago)

*listens to song*

*speechless, in a Dean Friedman sort of way*

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 13:59 (nineteen years ago)

It's truly something.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:06 (nineteen years ago)

I like the album cover.

― Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:23 (nineteen years ago)

In his previous life (in the world of theatre), Justice was invited to join 44 of New York’s top composers and lyricists in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. In 2001, he wowed representatives of Dodger Productions and Hal Prince’s office with a sneak preview of his musical about Cesar Chavez, and appeared before thousands of New Yorkers on cable TV.

― latebloomer: just raw dead fucking, babies! (latebloomer), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:43 (nineteen years ago)

i kinda hate making fun of ultrasincere, seemingly well-meaning people like this, but:

http://trevorjustice.com/images/7.jpg

― latebloomer: just raw dead fucking, babies! (latebloomer), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 14:50 (nineteen years ago)

That guy looks like the male version of Blossom.

"Live Without Fear"?? Trevor obviously hasn't seen Donnie Darko...

― Andi Headphones (Andi Headphones), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 16:28 (nineteen years ago)

seven months pass...

And ten. Nothing that truly made me hate this time but some amusing mediocrity nonetheless.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 1 June 2007 14:55 (nineteen years ago)

VERY amusing!

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 1 June 2007 14:57 (nineteen years ago)

who am I to complain how the RIAA enforces its rulings?

roffle

― Edward III, Friday, 1 June 2007 15:00 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Eleven -- though personally I'd just say skip the reviews and go straight to the war in the comments section.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 28 July 2007 03:08 (eighteen years ago)

Clingerpratt is an angry young man. Nice column, nonetheless.

― Daniel, Esq., Saturday, 28 July 2007 03:55 (eighteen years ago)

i seriously read this thread title as:
i has a new column on Stylus

― sanskrit, Saturday, 28 July 2007 04:02 (eighteen years ago)

god make it stop

― sanskrit, Saturday, 28 July 2007 04:02 (eighteen years ago)

woooow, that Kongos spiel is my new drug of choice.

― Merdeyeux, Saturday, 28 July 2007 04:10 (eighteen years ago)

xpost

The ILX cats are taking over.

― Bimble, Saturday, 28 July 2007 04:26 (eighteen years ago)

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